


Reflection

by Jestana



Series: OC-tober 2020 [31]
Category: Arcade Spirits (Visual Novel)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Mental Health Issues, Other, References to Past Bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:29:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jestana/pseuds/Jestana
Summary: Juniper has her own inner demons to fight.
Relationships: Juniper Quinn/Nonbinary Player Character, Juniper Quinn/Player Character
Series: OC-tober 2020 [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948747
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Reflection

**Author's Note:**

> Written for OC-tober 2020. The prompt was 'reflection'. There are references to someone being bullied for not being skinny.

"Honey, I'm home!" Thete announced upon letting themself into the apartment. When they didn't hear a response from Juniper, they frowned. "Juni?" Tucking their keys into their pocket, they headed towards Juniper's room and knocked on the door before opening it. "Hello?"

Juniper turned from the mirror on her closet door, startled. "Oh, Thete! When did you get home?"

"Just now." They raised their eyebrows, taking note of the fact that Juniper wore only her underwear as she turned back to the mirror with a dissatisfied expression. "Is something wrong?"

She sighed and poked at the soft bulge of her stomach. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing." Dropping their bag, Thete stepped into the room and moved to stand behind Juniper, resting their chin on her shoulder to look at their reflections in the mirror. "Did something happen while I was at work?"

Leaning back against Thete, Juniper told them, "The haters raised their ugly heads and called me the usual names: fat cow, big bitch. You remember."

"I do." Scowling, they kissed Juniper's cheek. "It took you back to high school, didn't it?"

Nodding, she prodded her stomach again. "You know how long it took me to get past that and just a few anonymous haters took me right back to it."

"Remember what your therapist said." Thete gently grasped Juniper's hands in theirs. "We all have good days and bad days. Those haters caught you on a bad day. What do we do about it?"

Juniper drew in a breath when Thete kissed the spot under her ear that was sensitive. "Look for the beauty in myself."

"Exactly." They met Juniper's eyes in the mirror. "So, what do you see about yourself that's beautiful?"

After a moment, she said, "I like my hair. Not just the color, but how wavy and thick it is."

"Good." Thete kissed the spot under Juniper's other ear. "Anything else?"

Drawing in a breath, Juniper said, "I like my eyes. They're such a pretty color."

"They're what I first noticed about you when we met," they added, gently pushing Juniper's hair out of the way to kiss the back of her neck. "Not just the color, but they were so open and friendly. No one else cared about the new kid."

Smiling, she turned to face Thete, drawing their head down to hers for a warm kiss. "I cared. I will always care about you."

"I love you, Juni," Thete told her, kissing the tip of her nose. "Exactly the way you are."

Juniper hugged Thete tight. "I love you, too, Thete. Thank you."

"Always."

**Author's Note:**

> I am not a psychiatrist or a therapist. What Thete does for Juniper seems the most logical way to help her. If anyone knows better, please tell me.


End file.
